Something Missing
by MeaningOfLife42
Summary: Prequel to 'Something More'. This is the story of James' departure...Marauder-Era...Lily/James...That'll Do. :D


**Well, I know it's been a while but here's the Prequel to 'Something More'...Enjoy and we'll see you after the show.**

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**Something Missing**

He lay there watching her sleep. A small smile played across her face, _well, she would have wouldn't she, _he thought to himself, reliving the evening's events in his head. He tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I love you." He gently removed himself from her embrace as he got up and began to search for his jeans. After successfully locating them and the remainder of his clothing, he removed a letter from his pocket, crumpled from the way his jeans had been so carelessly discarded the night before. Placing it on her pillow, he kissed her one last time and climbed out of the window slightly more gracefully than he had entered it.

_**Flashback**_

He had just received his orders. He would be leaving the next day. He knew better than to question his orders, but even so he didn't want to go. Lily had just agreed to move in with him and he was considering proposing to her within the next few weeks. He realised he may now not get the chance. He looked over at Sirius who had also been assigned the mission.

"Go to her, mate." Was all he said before turning round and exiting James' apartment. James knew all too well what Sirius would be doing, not so long ago he would have done the same thing, but a night down the pub didn't appeal to him anymore. His thoughts were now only of Lily and how his life had changed since she had let him into her heart. He cringed as he realised how cheesy he sounded. However, it was true and he realised leaving her would be the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

He threw himself down at his desk and grabbed a quill and some parchment. _Dear Lily,_ he began, running a hand through his hair. He paused, reading the two words over before shaking his head and scrunching up the piece of parchment and throwing towards the bin. He thought for a second before smiling slightly. His mind drifted back to the time when they were care-free in Hogwarts. _Dear Buttercup, _He began again. An hour later he shoved the completed letter in his pocket.

He twisted on the spot, apparating to the alleyway next to Lily's apartment. He walked towards the street and spotted Lily saying goodbye to a guy. He sighed and turned round, not wanting intrude on a possibility of happiness for Lily after he had gone. This had been a stupid idea anyway, it would be easier just to leave the letter without any confrontation. He looked upwards quickly, counting windows to find the one he knew was hers. Muttering a quick spell, he boosted himself towards Lily's window. Thankfully, it was open. He dragged himself through the gap, his foot catching on the window ledge causing him to tumble, not so gracefully, into Lily's bedroom.

Her roommate, Alice, burst into the room wand drawn, but on seeing James crumbled in a heap on the floor, burst into giggles. Standing up to retain some of his dignity, he commented that Alice looked nice. She blushed, "Thanks," she said, "I have a date for the evening," glancing at her watch she added, "talking of which, I must be going, Lily was stalling him downstairs so I could finish getting ready, she'll be right up." She smiled and left, closing the door behind her. _So that's who she was talking to,_ he thought, feeling a huge weight lift off his shoulders.

He wandered into the living room, the silence of the empty apartment seemed to echo around his head. Memories of the times they had shared together swirled in his thoughts. He was still deep in thought when Lily entered the apartment a few minutes later. She immediately noticed his detachment. "James?" she questioned softly. He looked at her, something in his eyes made her uneasy, there was such love yet so much despair. She gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. She knew what had happened,

"You have to?" she whispered, "No, don't answer that, just tell me you love me."

"Oh Merlin Lily. I love you. I love you so much." He quickly closed the distance between them, showering her face with kisses. "I'll love you forever." He murmured between kisses. He swept her up into his arms, retreating back into her room. He was determined to make it a night neither of them would ever forget.

_**Present**_

The first thing she noticed when she woke was the sunlight streaming in through the window. A dreamy smile languidly graced her lips as she recalled the evening's activities. She rolled over expecting to see James stretched out next to her but was met the cold sharp realisation that he had already gone. The smile fell from her face with the comprehension that she may never she him again. Tears filled her eyes as she noticed the envelope, with a buttercup sitting on top of it. She smiled despite the tears streaming down her face, he knew her so well. She lay there staring at the envelope, not wanting to open it as she knew it would make her have to come to terms with his departure.

She watched the sunlight move around the room as time moved on without her, she was still lost in her memories of James when Alice returned home in the late afternoon. A shout from the living room pulled her back to the present as she heard Alice swearing at Frank for getting soot on the carpet. She smiled in spite of herself, dragging herself out of bed and tucking the letter into her dressing gown pocket. She wandered into the living room to save Frank from a fate worse than death, sometimes Alice could get a little too worked up over the state of the apartment. Lily smiled again remembering the time Alice had brought a guy home, only to arrive to find that the Marauders had ransacked the place after watching a Quidditch Match. Remembering what Alice had done to them, she thought Frank might appreciate the save.

Alice and Frank both looked towards her as she entered the room. "Are you still in your pyjamas?" Alice demanded, hands still on hips from when she had been glaring down at Frank. Frank just looked at her swollen eyes and opened his arms towards her. She fell into them gratefully as tears started streaming down her face again, glad that someone at least seemed to understand how she felt.

"What happened?" Alice asked suddenly concerned.

"James left last night on a mission for the Order." Frank explained, at the mention of James' name, a fresh wave of tears swept over Lily.

"Oh you poor thing!" said Alice, coming to join in the hug.

"James asked me to tell you Buttercup. He said you'd know what it meant." At the mention of the flower she remembered the letter still unopened in her pocket. Without a word she walked back into her room, shutting her door firmly behind her. At last she turned to the letter. With shaking hands she opened it, revelling for a minute at the familiarity of her love's handwriting.

_**Dear Buttercup,**_the letter began…

_**I know that I probably left this morning without saying goodbye but last night meant so much to me. I know how beautiful you are when you're asleep so I wanted to leave knowing that was the last thing I saw. **_

_**I know that you can't wait forever but at least know this. I love you Lily and you have to know I always will and when I come back to you, I plan to make you my wife. (That is if you'll have me of course!) But feel free to move on and continue to live your life without me. **_

_**I know I may not be back for a while but I will always be thinking of you. Try to be happy because I know your smile can light up any dull day and know I'll be thinking of that in the dark times I'll face over these next few months. **_

_**You have to remember that I know (I seem to know a lot eh?) **_Lily smiled again and could picture James in his room, chuckling as he wrote that…His English was never very complex…_**that there's a chance I might never come back and I want to know you'll be happy so I formally give you permission to be sad for a minute every year after you hear of my inability to return. **_

_**But that's unlikely as you know as well as I do that with Sirius by my side, we Marauders can do anything! Nothing is impossible for where there's a Marauder, there's a way! I know you remember the time we drained the lake and vanished the water into the Slytherin Common Room…it was an added bonus the Dungeons got flooded…However, the giant squid was not amused. **_

_**Sorry, getting sidetracked, just remember that I will always love you and I want you to be happy, no matter what it takes.**_

_**You have my heart,**_

_**James x**_

By the time she had finished, the tears had come back full force and she didn't know whether she was laughing or crying. No matter how simple the letter had seemed, it had meant everything to her and James' declarations of love and his promise to return mixed with his absurdity and never-ending ability to make her smile, reminded her how much she loved him. With a slightly lighter heart, she left her room, feeling she was now ready to face whatever the future held even if she would have to wait for James, she knew she would. He would come back and they would marry, and have their Happily Ever After.

_**A Year Later…**_

Sirius had been back for over 6 months, but there was still no sign of James. None of the Marauders had heard from him and her hope was starting to fade. She had distanced herself from them and hadn't smiled since the false hope from Sirius' return. She hadn't spoken into anyone in the Order since they had suggested that it was unlikely for James to return.

It was on a cold December day as she was hurrying through the halls of the Ministry of Magic with a stack of papers. She slipped on a patch of melted snow after some idiot had changed the weather without thinking to close the windows first. She flew straight into a handsome man, her papers flying everywhere, as she clutched onto him to stop herself falling.

"Well, Howdy do. It's not everyday a beautiful woman falls into my arms." She found herself blushing and a smile crept across her face for the first time in months. The man continued, "I'm Mike, I'm new around here. Do you know anywhere nice I can take you out to lunch?" She smiled, somehow feeling more complete than she had in a while, maybe this was her Something Missing.

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**Hey! Hope you liked it, we have a Poll up about another Wedding Day so please go vote. We're also thinking a Prequel to this one 'Something Magical' about them in school etc etc etc so Ideas would be welcome! Please Review xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

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